“No.”
She shifted, moving closer into me as if she was trying to plant herself inside my skin. “Dates are nice. I haven’t been on a real one in a long time though.”
I glanced down at her, wondering what the point of the conversation was. While I enjoyed taking and claiming her, I didn’t want Azeira to confuse this relationship or me. I wasn’t the man that was gonna wine and dine her. I was gonna crave her tears then lick them off when they came. Hurt her to the point where marks were left so everyone could see. Azeira had become my obsession. The urge to cover and lock her away from all to see clawed at me daily.
There were no sunshine and rainbows in this story, only dark desires and twisted needs surrounded by shadows.
Today I woke up feeling indifferent. While I was happy that it felt like me and Kairus had finally crossed the hurdle in front of us and he was letting me in, I hated learning exactly what he went through. It pained me to know that he grew up so unloved and in a household full of pain. Learning more about him gave me a clearer picture of the man so many feared. He wasn’t born like this; the monster was created. I wanted to envelop him in my arms and hug all the pain and suffering he went through away, but Kairus would hate that.
He embraced the blackness inside him, encouraging it to grow and fill him. After years of suffering he learned to make it a part of him and get off on hurting others.
Using the back of my hand, I wiped my forehead and looked around the dining room. It was now midday and I had finished dusting and cleaning the upstairs and was now working my way down here.
Lillian came peddling through the dining room on her way to the kitchen, pausing when I called out to her. She turned to face me with a blank face.
“I just wanted to know this house, was it the same one Kairus grew up in?”
Lillian peered into me with unsettled eyes. She always stared at me like she hated me, like I had wronged her. Since being here I’d never seen her smile and she barely spoke unless it was to Kairus or scold me. I knew little about the older woman, but Kairus seemed fond of and trusted her.
“It’s just… he told me about the library being his mother’s and the way he spoke was as if it’d been here.”
Lillian stood taller and cocked her head to the side. She ran her eyes over me and tucked her lips into her mouth.
“Yes. Mr. Navarro has lived in this house his whole life. When he turned eighteen he inherited it and had the house gutted and remodeled to what you see today, every room but the library.” She didn’t stick around after that, continuing her path to the kitchen.
I looked around the dining room. With all the pain within these walls, I wondered why Kairus would want to continue living here. I picked up a glass from the China cabinet I was currently dusting and studied it. Kairus had nice things, but the house was so impersonal. No pictures, no personality, nothing that showed this was his childhood home or any warmth. It made sense after learning about his past, but it still made my chest ache and my heart cry.
I picked up the polish and rag to wipe the glass in my hand and lifted it. The rays coming in from the window shined on it, causing it to sparkle. One side of my mouth lifted. It amazed me how just a few months ago, I loathed being reduced to a maid, but now I found peace in the time I had to myself to clean and tidy up the house.
It might not feel like ahomeright now, but with timeI hoped to change that.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, wiping the remaining droplets of water off of me, I paused when I laid eyes on my bed. Squinting, I stepped closer, eyeing the yellow dress resting peacefully on it.
“What?” I wondered. Noticing a piece of paper, I picked it up and studied it.
Put this on and doll yourself up. You have an hour.
Furrowing my brows, I turned the paper to see if anything else was written on it but saw nothing. I studied Kairus’s clean and neat penmanship. Curiosity and excitement filled my stomach as I turned my attention back to the dress. The last time Kairus had me dress up he took me to a gala. I was curious if another one was in the plans for tonight.
“So you’re not gonna tell me where we’re going?” I asked Kairus for the hundredth time as we sat in the back of the truck while Rock drove us.
“If I didn’t tell you the other times, then it’s not gonna change this time,” he told me, staring down at me.
Crossing my arms, I poked my lips out, pouting while my heart danced wildly inside me. I wasn’t all that upset because Kairus was taking me out of the house. Even if he had given me a little bit of freedom to leave the house, it wasn’t much, notthat I minded. Before being taken I didn’t leave the house much anyway. School, work, and visiting my parents was all I did and of course the occasional outings with Jatavia. My life was never truly exciting to begin with, so being stuck in his manor wasn’t all that different from my day to day life.
I looked down at my lap and uncrossed my arms, wiping my hands over the dress to smooth it out. While I might not have known where we were going, I was glad to dress up. The dress fit me perfectly. It was a golden yellow, hugging my breasts securely, tight as the waist, and slightly flared at the bottom. Since I didn’t have time to do my hair, it was in a cute, curly updo. Kairus had even gotten me diamond stud earrings and a matching necklace. Both looked expensive and glistened in the light. Kairus was dressed in an expensive-looking, navy blue suit, tailored to fit him perfectly, of course.
The truck finally stopped, gaining my attention. I looked out the window, trying to figure out where we were. While I couldn’t make out the location, I did notice other people getting out of their cars and the valet. Everyone was dressed nicely in evening gowns or dresses, the men all in suits or dress clothes.
When the door opened Kairus climbed out first and held his hand out for me. To say I was shocked was an understatement, but I grabbed it and slowly stepped out of the truck. I looked around and inhaled. Wherever we were was close to the water. The faint smell of the sea filled my nostrils.
Lights filled the walkway as we walked toward the large building. The double glass doors automatically opened when we approached them.
“Tickets, please?” the man at the counter requested when we got close. Kairus dug into the inside of his suit jacket. I watched curiously, wondering what he had up his sleeve.
He handed the man two tickets and he nodded. “Enjoy the show.” The man smiled at me, causing me to smile back andKairus to growl. He mugged the man and pulled me closer into him.
“Stop.” I shook my head and tapped his arm.
